US9738333B2 - Fifth wheel locking mechanism - Google Patents
Fifth wheel locking mechanism Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US9738333B2 US9738333B2 US14/617,392 US201514617392A US9738333B2 US 9738333 B2 US9738333 B2 US 9738333B2 US 201514617392 A US201514617392 A US 201514617392A US 9738333 B2 US9738333 B2 US 9738333B2
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- pair
- locking
- top plate
- wheel
- locking jaws
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related, expires
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D53/00—Tractor-trailer combinations; Road trains
- B62D53/04—Tractor-trailer combinations; Road trains comprising a vehicle carrying an essential part of the other vehicle's load by having supporting means for the front or rear part of the other vehicle
- B62D53/08—Fifth wheel traction couplings
- B62D53/12—Fifth wheel traction couplings engaging automatically
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D53/00—Tractor-trailer combinations; Road trains
- B62D53/04—Tractor-trailer combinations; Road trains comprising a vehicle carrying an essential part of the other vehicle's load by having supporting means for the front or rear part of the other vehicle
- B62D53/08—Fifth wheel traction couplings
- B62D53/0885—Comprising devices to limit or to compensate for wear or excessive play; Lubricating, shock absorbing, bearing devices, or the like
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D53/00—Tractor-trailer combinations; Road trains
- B62D53/04—Tractor-trailer combinations; Road trains comprising a vehicle carrying an essential part of the other vehicle's load by having supporting means for the front or rear part of the other vehicle
- B62D53/08—Fifth wheel traction couplings
- B62D53/10—Fifth wheel traction couplings with means for preventing accidental uncoupling
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to fifth wheels of the type used by tractor trucks to pull trailers and the like and, in particular, to a fifth wheel locking mechanism.
- Towing vehicles such as tractor trucks or semi-tractors and the like, are equipped with fifth wheel hitches which receive and engage the kingpins of trailers.
- the fifth wheel is positioned on the back of the tractor truck and features a top plate having a central throat equipped with a latching mechanism which engages the kingpin.
- the throat may be, for example, provided with an open end facing the rear of the truck.
- the kingpin extends downward from the underside of the leading end portion of the trailer.
- the engagement of the trailer kingpin by the fifth wheel is the primary means by which the trailer is pivotally connected to the tractor.
- FIG. 1A is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of the fifth wheel of the present invention with the locking mechanism in a locked configuration
- FIG. 1B is a bottom plan view of the fifth wheel of FIG. 1A with the locking mechanism in an armed configuration with a kingpin being received;
- FIG. 1C is a bottom plan view of the fifth wheel of FIGS. 1A and 1B with the locking mechanism in a reset configuration prior to a kingpin being received;
- FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the fifth wheel of FIG. 1A ;
- FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the locking jaws and locking member of the locking mechanism of the fifth wheel in the configuration of FIGS. 1A and 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the side of the secondary locking pawl of the locking mechanism that faces the fifth wheel top plate in the fifth wheel of FIGS. 1A-3 with the locking mechanism in the configuration of FIGS. 1A and 2 .
- FIGS. 1A-1C and 2 An embodiment of the fifth wheel of the present invention is indicated in general at 10 in FIGS. 1A-1C and 2 .
- the locking mechanism of the fifth wheel is shown in a “closed” or “locked” configuration in FIG. 1A , that is, a configuration where the kingpin of a trailer (not shown in FIG. 1A ) would be positioned within the throat 24 of the fifth wheel so that the trailer may be towed by the towing vehicle upon which the fifth wheel 10 is positioned.
- the locking mechanism includes a pair of locking jaws 12 a and 12 b pivotally attached at their proximal ends to the fifth wheel top plate 14 via hinge pins 16 a and 16 b .
- the distal ends of the locking jaws 12 a and 12 b are provided with curved kingpin engagement surfaces 18 a and 18 b .
- the mechanism is provided with a stationary front jaw 22 which has a curved surface that cooperates with the curved kingpin engagement surfaces 18 a and 18 b to define a throat 24 within which the kingpin of a trailer is locked.
- Kingpin towing forces forces in the direction of the locking jaws 12 a and 12 b ) are transmitted directly onto the curved surfaces 18 a and 18 b of the jaws. These forces are distributed throughout the lengths of the jaws 12 a and 12 b and are transmitted into the top plate 14 at the hinge point/hinge pins 16 a and 16 b.
- Standard loading will prevent the jaws 12 a and 12 b from opening from the locked positions illustrated in FIG. 1A due to the shape of the interface between the kingpin and the jaws, that is, the curved kingpin engagement surfaces 18 a and 18 b .
- Additional locking is provided, however, by a generally U-shaped locking member, indicated in general at 32 in FIGS. 1A and 3 . More specifically, the locking member includes a pair of leg portions 34 a and 34 b that engage recesses 36 a and 36 b formed in the distal ends of the locking jaws 12 a and 12 b when the jaws are in the closed configuration illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 3 . This prevents the jaws from retracting due to friction during turning or other potential jarring or impact forces.
- locking jaws 12 a and 12 b are symmetrical and include secondary kingpin engagement surfaces 19 a and 19 b .
- Each locking jaw therefore may be flipped over or the positions of locking jaws 12 a and 12 b reversed, that is, locking jaw 12 a could be used in the position illustrated for locking jaw 12 b and vice versa.
- the locking jaws 12 a and 12 b may be flipped over or swapped so that new/secondary kingpin engagement surfaces 19 a and 19 b are put into use.
- bottom plates 21 a and 21 b which are secured to the top plate by hinge pins 16 a and 16 b and by bolts 23 a and 23 b .
- the bottom plates protect the locking jaws from debris and also permit them to be removed and flipped over, swapped or replaced, while the fifth wheel is still mounted on the vehicle. Indeed, all of the parts of the locking mechanism are replaceable and may be accessed while the fifth wheel remains mounted on the vehicle.
- the top plate 14 is provided with removable top wear pads 35 a and 35 b that cover corresponding openings in the top plate.
- the wear pads 35 a and 35 b may be secured to the top plate with bolts or screws.
- the top wear pads may be removed so that the components of the fifth wheel locking mechanism under the top plate may be accessed for repair or replacement while the fifth wheel is still mounted on the vehicle.
- the top wear pads may be easily replaced when they become worn, as may the removable fifth wheel mouth wear pads 37 a and 37 b (also illustrated in FIG. 2 ).
- the locking member 32 is held in place by a release arm 38 which is pivotally mounted to the top plate by a first end via bolt 42 . More specifically, the release arm is pivotally attached to the locking member 32 via pin 44 . A secondary locking pawl 46 is pivotally attached to a second end of the release arm 38 by bolt 48 .
- a tension locking spring 52 features a first end that is attached to the fifth wheel top plate 14 and a second end that is attached to the secondary locking pawl 46 via opening 54 (the spring is shown disconnected from the secondary locking pawl opening 54 in FIGS. 1A-1C for ease of viewing).
- the locking spring pulls secondary locking pawl 46 in the direction of arrow 56 of FIG. 1A so that the release arm 38 pivots in a clockwise direction (about bolt 42 ) and urges the leg portions 34 a and 34 b of the locking member 32 into engagement with the recesses 36 a and 36 b of the locking jaws 12 a and 12 b , as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 3 .
- a pawl projection 58 projects from the underside of the secondary locking pawl 46 (i.e. the side of the secondary locking pawl not visible in FIG. 1A ) towards the top plate 14 .
- a locking tab 62 is formed on the end of the release arm 38 that is pivotally connected to bolt 48 . As illustrated in FIG. 4 , the locking tab 62 of the release arm engages the pawl projection 58 of the secondary locking pawl 46 when the locking mechanism of the fifth wheel is in the closed configuration illustrated in FIG. 1A . This retains the release arm 38 in the position illustrated in FIG. 1A to prevent disengagement of the locking member 32 from the locking jaws 12 a and 12 b during transit due to jarring and impact.
- the secondary locking pawl 46 is provided with a release handle 102 .
- the release handle 102 may be actuated so as to cause the secondary locking pawl to rotate counterclockwise about bolt 48 to unlock the fifth wheel locking mechanism.
- An additional tertiary lock is available by way of manually inserting a locking pin 64 ( FIG. 1A ) into a hole 66 ( FIG. 1B ) in the top plate and an aligned hole in the secondary locking pawl release handle in order to create a positive lock between the two. Engaging this tertiary lock will prevent the mechanism from opening while in transit, even in the event that the pneumatic release cylinder 70 , discussed below, is activated.
- FIG. 1B Insertion of a trailer kingpin into the fifth wheel 10 is shown in FIG. 1B .
- a kingpin 76 enters the throat 24 of the fifth wheel through the mouth 78 .
- the kingpin contacts the two locking jaws 12 a and 12 b separating them to allow for its entrance into the throat.
- the locking jaws are provided with torsion springs 82 a and 82 b that surround and are secured in place by hinge pins 16 a and 16 b ( FIG. 1A ).
- Torsion spring 82 a engages the top plate 14 and a recess 83 a formed in locking jaw 12 a while torsion spring 82 b engages the top plate 14 and a recess 83 b formed in locking jaw 12 b .
- the torsion springs 82 a and 82 b urge the locking jaws into the positions illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 2 and 3 .
- the two jaws 12 a and 12 b snap closed behind it into the positions illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 2 and 3 locking it into place.
- a trigger indicated in general at 72 , features a bumper portion 74 that is initially positioned within the throat 24 of the fifth wheel.
- the trigger 72 is rotatably mounted to the locking member and the release arm 38 by pin 44 .
- the trigger also features a hook portion 84 and a spring tab 86 having an opening 88 .
- a trigger tension spring 90 features a first end attached to the fifth wheel top plate and a second end attached to the opening 88 of the trigger spring tab (shown disconnected in FIGS. 1A-1C for ease of viewing).
- the hook portion 84 of the trigger Prior to the kingpin 76 contacting the bumper portion 74 of the trigger 72 , the hook portion 84 of the trigger engages a top plate retaining pin 92 so that the bumper portion is positioned within the throat 24 .
- the kingpin 76 contacts the bumper portion 74 of the trigger 72 , as illustrated in FIG. 1B , it causes the trigger to rotate in the counter-clockwise direction about pin 44 , against the urging of trigger spring 90 , disengaging the hook portion 84 of the trigger from the retaining pin 92 in the top plate.
- the locking spring 52 is permitted to pull the release arm 38 , trigger 72 , and lock 32 , toward the kingpin (i.e. toward the trailing end of the fifth wheel), engaging the lock, and subsequently, the secondary lock (as illustrated in FIGS. 1A, 2 and 4 ).
- the locking mechanism is reset by activation of a pneumatic release cylinder, indicated in general at 70 .
- the pneumatic release cylinder features a housing portion 96 attached to the fifth wheel top plate and a rod 98 with an end pivotally attached to the secondary locking pawl 46 .
- the pneumatic release cylinder is activated by the operator of the vehicle upon which the fifth wheel is mounted (such as by pressing a button in the vehicle cab).
- the rod 98 extends out of the housing 96 so that the secondary locking pawl 46 rotates counter-clockwise about bolt 48 .
- pawl projection 58 is rotated clear of tab 62 and the secondary lock is disengaged or released.
- the release arm 38 is rotated up or counter-clockwise around bolt 42 via further extension of rod 98 of the pneumatic release cylinder.
- the locking member 32 is moved away from the throat of the fifth wheel (i.e. towards the leading end of the fifth wheel) and the pair of leg portions 34 a and 34 b of the locking member disengage the recesses 36 a and 36 b of the distal ends of the locking jaws 12 a and 12 b so that they are free to rotate about hinge pins 16 a and 16 b .
- the locking member 32 also includes timing cam arms 104 a and 104 b which travel along cam surfaces 106 a and 106 b of the locking jaws 12 a and 12 b so as to open the two jaws (i.e. into the positions shown in FIG. 1C ) during actuation of the pneumatic release cylinder and the corresponding movement of release arm 38 and locking member 32 .
- the trigger 72 As the release arm 38 rotates counter-clockwise about bolt 42 , the trigger 72 , under the urging of trigger spring 90 , is rotated clockwise about pin 44 and reset so that the hook portion 84 of the trigger engages retaining pin 92 .
- the bumper portion 74 of the trigger after activation (and then deactivation) of pneumatic release cylinder 70 , the bumper portion 74 of the trigger rests against the head of the kingpin 76 and holds the locking jaws 12 a and 12 b of the locking mechanism open until the kingpin is removed from the fifth wheel.
- the fifth wheel of FIGS. 1A-4 utilizes a dual-jaw design which enables the load path in a towing loading case to be transmitted primarily through compression as opposed to tension or cantilevering.
- the two symmetric locking jaws 12 a and 12 b are spring loaded in the closed position forming an orifice or throat 24 for retaining the neck of the standard trailer kingpin. These two jaws in conjunction with the stationary front jaw hold the kingpin in place during transit.
Abstract
Description
Claims (24)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US14/617,392 US9738333B2 (en) | 2014-02-07 | 2015-02-09 | Fifth wheel locking mechanism |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US201461937246P | 2014-02-07 | 2014-02-07 | |
US14/617,392 US9738333B2 (en) | 2014-02-07 | 2015-02-09 | Fifth wheel locking mechanism |
Publications (2)
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US20150225028A1 US20150225028A1 (en) | 2015-08-13 |
US9738333B2 true US9738333B2 (en) | 2017-08-22 |
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US14/617,392 Expired - Fee Related US9738333B2 (en) | 2014-02-07 | 2015-02-09 | Fifth wheel locking mechanism |
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Cited By (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP3533690A1 (en) | 2018-02-28 | 2019-09-04 | Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company | Retractable pull handle assemblies for fifth wheels |
WO2019210133A1 (en) * | 2018-04-27 | 2019-10-31 | Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company | Methods and systems for monitoring coupling of fifth wheels to kingpins |
US10670479B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2020-06-02 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
US10696109B2 (en) | 2017-03-22 | 2020-06-30 | Methode Electronics Malta Ltd. | Magnetolastic based sensor assembly |
US11014417B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2021-05-25 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
US11084342B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2021-08-10 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
US11135882B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2021-10-05 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
US11221262B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2022-01-11 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
US11491832B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2022-11-08 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
US20220371671A1 (en) * | 2021-05-20 | 2022-11-24 | Michael Magilton | Emergency Trailer Release Device |
US11524536B2 (en) | 2019-02-14 | 2022-12-13 | Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company | Apparatuses, systems, and methods for determining and verifying operational states of fifth wheels |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US11529833B2 (en) * | 2017-05-23 | 2022-12-20 | Horizon Global Americas Inc. | Fifth wheel hitch engagement system |
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US9327782B2 (en) * | 2013-12-09 | 2016-05-03 | Fontaine Fifth Wheel | Fifth wheel locking mechanism |
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2015
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US10696109B2 (en) | 2017-03-22 | 2020-06-30 | Methode Electronics Malta Ltd. | Magnetolastic based sensor assembly |
US10940726B2 (en) | 2017-03-22 | 2021-03-09 | Methode Electronics Malta Ltd. | Magnetoelastic based sensor assembly |
US11135882B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2021-10-05 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
US11221262B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2022-01-11 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
US11491832B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2022-11-08 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
US11014417B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2021-05-25 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
US11084342B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2021-08-10 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
US10670479B2 (en) | 2018-02-27 | 2020-06-02 | Methode Electronics, Inc. | Towing systems and methods using magnetic field sensing |
EP3533690A1 (en) | 2018-02-28 | 2019-09-04 | Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company | Retractable pull handle assemblies for fifth wheels |
US11124031B2 (en) | 2018-02-28 | 2021-09-21 | Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company | Retractable pull handle assemblies for fifth wheels |
WO2019210133A1 (en) * | 2018-04-27 | 2019-10-31 | Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company | Methods and systems for monitoring coupling of fifth wheels to kingpins |
US11731471B2 (en) | 2018-04-27 | 2023-08-22 | Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company | Methods and systems for monitoring coupling of fifth wheels to kingpins |
US11524536B2 (en) | 2019-02-14 | 2022-12-13 | Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company | Apparatuses, systems, and methods for determining and verifying operational states of fifth wheels |
US11865882B2 (en) | 2019-02-14 | 2024-01-09 | Fontaine Fifth Wheel Company | Apparatuses, systems, and methods for determining and verifying operational states of fifth wheels |
US20220371671A1 (en) * | 2021-05-20 | 2022-11-24 | Michael Magilton | Emergency Trailer Release Device |
US11731712B2 (en) * | 2021-05-20 | 2023-08-22 | Michael Magilton | Emergency trailer release device |
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US20150225028A1 (en) | 2015-08-13 |
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